Ernest oldenbusch



(Modem 13. OLDENBUSOH. FRAME FOR POCKET BOOKS, &0.

No. 404,979. Patented June 11, 1889.

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST OLDENBUSCH, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR TO W ILLIAM SCHIMPER & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

FRAME FOR POCKET-BOOKS, 84,0.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 404,979, dated June 11, 1889.

Application filed February 2,1889. Serial Ila-298,538. (Model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST OLDENBUSCH, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and usevful Improvement in Frames for Pocket-Books and Similar Articles, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to the clasps for locking the hinged jaws of a frame for pocket-books and similar articles.

I will describe in detail aframe embodying my improvement, and then point out the novel features in claims. I

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hinged jaws of a pocket-book frame, showing a clasp embodying "my improvement secured thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan or top View of a portion of one of the jaws and showing the said improvement. Fig.- 3 is an inside View of the same, one of the parts being removed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modification. Figs. 5 and 6 are front and rear views of a certain locking-piece employed. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a casing. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are on alarger scale than Fig. 1; and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show certain parts broken away in order to save space.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A B designate the jaws of the frame. These jaws are bent near their ends and hinged together at a in the usual manner. These jaws may be stamped up out of sheet metal. The jaw A is provided about midway in its length with an enlarged portion a, by which an internal recess a is formed. A portion of the metal forming the inner side wall of the said recess is cut away, as at a and the end edges of said recess are shown as.

beveled, as at a (See Fig. 2.) One of these beveled edgesin this instance the one at the left of Fig. 2-is adapted to act as a wedge, for purposes hereinafter to be described.

0 designates alocking-piece. This lockingpiece comprises a bar-like portion 0 and a catch portion 0. Between the *bar-like portion 0 and the catch-like portion 0 is a neck portion 0 Upon the inner face of the catch portion 0' is a lip 0 which is struck out from the face of the catch portion. The lockingpiece may be struck up from a piece of sheet metal and bent or otherwise shaped in any suitable manner. WVhen arranged upon the jaw, the bar 0 of the locking-piece is within the recess a while the neck 0 extends through the opening a in such manner that the catch portion will be outside the jaw.

In the example of my improvement shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,D designates a coil-spring. This coil-spring is arranged in the recess a and abuts at one end against one of the ends of the bar-like portion 0 of the locking-piece.

J designates a casing. This casing may be struck up from a single piece of sheet metal, and comprises a bar-like portion d, lugs d, extending from one of the sides thereof, lugs (1 extending from both sides thereof and shown as opposite each other, and turned or bent down end portions d which portions'are 7o bent at approximately right angles to the length of the bar-like portion d. This casing incloses the bar-like portion 0 of the lockingpiece and the coil-spring D. When in position, the turned-down end portions (1 of the casing extend into the ends of the recess o The lugs d extend into notches d in the walls of said recess and operate, when struck up, to secure the casing in position. When placin the casin in, osition the ortion (1 ad- D D p 7 jacent to the coil-spring D, compresses said spring and forces the locking-piece over, so that one of the sides of the neck portion 0 thereof will contact with the wedge-like surfaces a When the casing is in position, one end of the coil-spring abuts against said turned-down portion (1 It willbe readily seen that when the parts are thus assembled, if the catch portion 0 be forced backwardly, it will, byits contact with the wedge-like surfaces a, becaused to movetoward the spring and to cause a still further compression of the latter. WVhen the catch-like portion is released, the spring will then operate to return the locking-piece to its former or normal position. 5 When the two jaws are'brought together, the lip c on the catch portion of the lockingpiece will engage aprojection e upon the jaw B, and the two jaws will be maintained locked together by the action of the spring D until the catch-like portion shall be moved backwardly far enough to release the lock.

The lugs d on the casing operate as stops to prevent too great an inward movement of the catch port-ion of the locking-piece, while the rear wall of the opening a operates in a similar manner to prevent a too-extended rearward movement of the catch portion.

I have shown the end of the opening a opposite the wedge-like surface upon which the locking-piece acts as beveled only for the purpose of more effectively closing the said openin should be beveled.

In the example of my improvement show in Fig. 4:, instead of using a coil-spring, I employ a flat torsion-spring, one end of which is rigidly connected to the bar-like portion 0 of the locking-piece, and the other end of which extends through a loop formed by bending a tongue f, formed upon one of the rims of the jaw A, upwardly, so as to contact with the other rim thereof. The space formed by the loop is such that the fiat portion of the spring, when placed therein, cannot turn; but the spring may be readily slipped in and out to facilitate the assembling of the parts.

It will be seen that by my improvement a cheap and at the same time very durable and effective clasp is made, the whole being so constructed that the parts may be assembled with the greatest facility.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with hinged jaws of a pocket-book frame, one of said jaws being provided upon its side with an enlargement I do not deem it essential that it forming an internal recess, of a locking-piece and a catch portion extending through an opening in the jaw to the outside of the latter, a spring acting on the said bar-like portion, and a casing upon the inner side of the jaw, inclosing the said bar-1ike portion and secured to the jaw, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the hinged jaws of a pocket-book frame, one of said jaws being provided upon its side with an enlargement forming an internal recess, of a locking-piece having a bar-like portion within said recess and a catch portion extending through an opening of the jaw to the outside of the latter, a spring acting-on the said bar-like portion, and a casing upon the inner side of the jaw, inclosing said bar-like portion and secured to the jaw, said opening in the jaw being provided upon one of its edges with a wedge-surface, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the hinged jaws of a pocket-book frame, one of said jaws being provided with an enlargement forming an internal recess, of a locking-piece having abarlike portion within said recess and a catch portion extending through an opening in the j aw to the outside of the latter, a torsionspring rigidly connected to said bar-like portion near one end of the latter and extending loosely through a loop on the frame, and a casing inclosing the said bar-like portion and secured to the jaw, substantially as specified.

ERNEST OLDENBUSCII.

Witnesses: I

FREDK. IIAYNEs, JOHN BIcKn'r.

having a bar-like portion within said recess 

